The minutes are the only part of a meeting that outlives the meeting. Six months later nobody remembers whether the committee actually approved the gutter repair or just talked about it, whether the levy was struck at $420 or $480, or on what conditions the owner in Unit 3 was allowed to install air conditioning. The minutes are what answer those questions — or fail to. Minutes that are vague, incomplete, or missing altogether are how a self-managed scheme ends up unable to prove its own decisions when an owner, an insurer, or a tribunal asks. This guide is about writing minutes that hold up.
What minutes are actually for
Minutes are the legal record of decisions, not a record of the conversation. Their job is to establish, beyond argument later, three things for every item:
- What was decided — the exact resolution, in the words it was passed in.
- Who decided it — that a properly constituted meeting (with notice and quorum) made the decision.
- How it was decided — carried, defeated, and by what margin where that matters.
Because they are a record and not a transcript, good minutes are shorter than most first-time secretaries expect. You are not capturing who said what, the tangents, or the disagreement along the way. You are capturing the outcome in a form that can be relied on.
Why getting them right matters
- A decision you can't prove is a decision you may not have. If a spend, a by-law, or an approval is ever challenged, the minutes are the evidence. No minute, no proof.
- They bind future committees. Owners and committee members turn over. The minutes are how next year's treasurer knows what was agreed and on what terms.
- They're an owner's right to see. Owners are generally entitled to inspect the scheme's records, minutes included. Sloppy or absent minutes are the first thing that erodes trust.
- Insurers and lenders ask for them. Claims, conveyancing, and finance often turn on being able to produce the relevant resolution.
What every set of minutes must record
Whatever the meeting, the minutes should capture:
- Type of meeting — committee meeting, AGM, or extraordinary/special general meeting
- Date, time and place (or the platform, if held electronically)
- Who was present — attendees by name and lot, apologies, and proxies held (with who holds them)
- Confirmation of quorum — that the required number was present before business was conducted
- Confirmation of the previous minutes — that the minutes of the last meeting were accepted as a true record
- Each motion, its outcome, and the vote — the heart of the document (see below)
- Reports received — the treasurer's report and accounts, correspondence, and any other reports tabled
- The next meeting where set, and the time of close
That is the skeleton. The one section that most often lets a scheme down is the motions — so it's worth getting the wording right.
How to phrase a motion and its outcome
A motion recorded loosely is a motion that can be read two ways later. The reliable pattern is: state the resolution in full, then record the result.
Weak:
The committee discussed the leaking gutter and agreed to get it fixed.
Strong:
Motion 4 — Gutter repair, western elevation. That the committee approve the repair of the western gutter by Ace Roofing for the quoted amount of $2,180 (incl. GST), funded from the administrative fund. Carried. (4 in favour, 1 against.)
The strong version fixes the what (the specific work), the who (the contractor), the how much (the figure and GST), the funding source (which fund), and the result (carried, with the split). None of that is open to interpretation six months on.
A few rules that keep motions clean:
- Record the resolution as passed, including any amendment. If the meeting changed the figure or added a condition, the minute reflects the final wording, not the original motion.
- Capture conditions in full. "Approved subject to the owner using a licensed electrician and making good any damage to common property" is the kind of condition that matters enormously later. Write it out.
- Name the fund for anything financial. Whether a spend comes from the administrative fund or the capital works fund is a decision in itself — record which.
- Record defeated motions too. "Motion 6 — Lost" is important. It proves the matter was put and not approved, which stops it being quietly actioned anyway.
- Note the resolution type where it matters. If something required a special resolution, record that it was passed as one, and by what margin — a bare "carried" doesn't prove the higher threshold was met.
Recording the vote
For ordinary committee business, "carried" or "lost" is usually enough. Record the actual numbers when:
- the vote was close or divided;
- a member asked for their dissent to be recorded;
- the resolution needed a special or unanimous margin; or
- a member declared an interest and abstained — note the declaration and the abstention.
What to leave out
Minutes get into trouble by including too much as often as too little. Keep out:
- Verbatim discussion. You are not transcribing. "After discussion" is all the record of debate that's needed.
- Editorial or emotive language. "The owner was being unreasonable" has no place in a legal record. State facts and decisions, not characterisations.
- Anything defamatory or private that isn't necessary to the decision. Minutes can be read by every owner and may be produced to a tribunal — write them accordingly.
Distributing and keeping the minutes
Preparing the minutes is only half the obligation. Strata law is state-legislated, and each jurisdiction sets its own rules for how soon minutes must be circulated and how long records must be kept. Confirm the specifics for your scheme before relying on any single figure.
New South Wales — Strata Schemes Management Act 2015
In NSW, the secretary is responsible for preparing minutes of general meetings and committee meetings. Minutes must generally be prepared and distributed, and notice of committee decisions given to owners, within a short period after the meeting (commonly 7 days).
Owners corporations must keep their records — minutes included — for at least 7 years, and make them available for inspection on request.
General information only — not legal advice.
Queensland — Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997
In Queensland, the body corporate must prepare minutes of general and committee meetings and give owners access to them. Under the regulation modules, a copy of the minutes (or notice of where to obtain them) is generally provided within about 21 days of the meeting.
The body corporate must keep minutes and other records for the period specified in the regulation module that applies to the scheme, and allow owners to inspect them.
General information only — not legal advice.
Western Australia — Strata Titles Act 1985
In WA, the strata company must keep minutes of council and general meetings as part of its records. Following the reforms that commenced on 1 May 2020, record-keeping and access requirements are set out in the Act and regulations.
Owners are entitled to access the scheme's records, minutes included. Confirm the current retention and distribution requirements before relying on them.
General information only — not legal advice.
Victoria — Owners Corporations Act 2006
In Victoria, an owners corporation must keep minutes of its meetings and committee meetings as part of the records it is required to maintain — generally for at least 7 years — and make them available for inspection.
Minutes should be prepared promptly after the meeting so owners can access an accurate record.
General information only — not legal advice.
The other states and territories — South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory — follow the same shape: minutes must be prepared, made available to owners, and retained for a period set by the legislation. Check your scheme's Act for the exact distribution timeframe and retention period.
Approving and signing the minutes
Draft minutes aren't yet the official record. They become the confirmed record when the next meeting of the same body accepts them as a true and correct account — the first substantive item on most agendas. Once confirmed, they're signed (typically by the chairperson) and filed. Corrections raised at that point are made to the draft being confirmed; you don't rewrite minutes that have already been signed off — you note any later correction in the minutes of the meeting where it's raised.
Where minutes fit in your records
Minutes are one of the core records a self-managed scheme must keep permanently accessible, alongside the roll, financial records, insurance, and by-laws. Keep them:
- In order and complete — a continuous run, so there are no unexplained gaps between meetings;
- Backed up — not solely on one person's laptop, given committees turn over;
- Retained for the full statutory period — at least 7 years in most states, and in practice worth keeping for the life of the scheme, since old decisions (a by-law, a works approval, a special levy) can matter decades later.
Common mistakes
1. Recording the discussion instead of the decision
Pages of who-said-what, and then no clear resolution. The one thing that must be unambiguous — what was actually decided — gets buried. Record the outcome, not the debate.
2. Vague motion wording
"Agreed to proceed with the painting" leaves the scope, the contractor, the price and the funding source all open. When the invoice arrives at double the expected figure, the minute settles nothing.
3. Not recording defeated motions
If a motion was put and lost, that belongs in the minutes. Leaving it out invites someone to action it anyway, or to re-litigate it as though it had never been decided.
4. Never formally confirming the previous minutes
Minutes that are never adopted at the following meeting sit in permanent draft. Confirmation is what turns them from someone's notes into the scheme's official record.
5. Editorialising
Emotive or judgemental language turns a legal record into a liability. Owners can read the minutes; so can a tribunal. Keep them factual.
Frequently asked questions
Do committee meetings need minutes, or just general meetings?
Both. Committee meetings are formal decision-making meetings and their decisions need the same evidentiary record. In most states, notice of committee decisions must also be given to owners.
Who is responsible for taking the minutes?
Usually the secretary. At a meeting where the secretary is also chairing or presenting, it's sensible to have someone else take the minutes so the record isn't rushed.
Do we have to record how each person voted?
Not by name for ordinary business — the tally is enough. But record the numbers where a vote is close or divided, where a member asks for their dissent to be minuted, where a special or unanimous resolution is required, or where a member declares an interest and abstains.
Can owners see the minutes?
Yes. Owners are generally entitled to inspect the scheme's records, minutes included. Write every minute on the assumption that every owner will read it.
How long do we keep them?
At least the period set by your state's legislation — commonly 7 years — and in practice for the life of the scheme, because old resolutions can still bind or be relied on long after.
This guide is general information for self-managed strata schemes in Australia. It is not legal advice. The timeframes for preparing and distributing minutes, and the periods for retaining records, differ between states — always check the strata legislation that applies to your scheme.